Life and Death
Monday, 14. January 2008, 17:36:01
I had another user recently state that he failed to see the coherence of someone claiming to be both Pro-Life and not opposed to the death penalty, and I can say that I see his point, as they seem to be supporting two contradictory sides of the same argument. So after what I hope is some careful thought, I've decided to try to put my position into words.
Pro-Life
I believe that children are the direct work of God's hands, and that every life is sacred, whether that of a child who will not be born for 9 more months, an old stroke victim who is confined to a bed, a person with severe mental retardation, or a perfectly healthy individual in the prime of life. All people have been created in the image of God and as such deserve* the right** to a full, healthy life.
That being said, the implied corollary is that I do not believe in any kind of suicide, physician assisted or otherwise. I do not believe that it is a person's right** to choose to end their own life. My reasoning behind this is that the individual is judging whether there is anything to be gained from his life, whether it is 'worth living'.
Pro-death?
While I believe that every person is created on equal footing, I do believe that there are actions that deserve death. I would include in here murder - the pre-meditated kind for sure; I'm not sure about man slaughter - certain 'style's of rape, assault, etc. Those exact laws should be written by lawmakers who have more time to think through the exact ramifications of each type of offense.
Resolution
So where do the two meet? It's that same, age-old addage of loving the sinner and hatint the sin. Every person has a dignity imbued by God which denies any other person - or even himself - from arbitrarily ending his life. But every person is responsible for his actions, and actions have consequences, some of which are death. It is a matter of judging the act, not the person. I judge you as being created by God, with an immortal soul that cannot be replaced. But I judge your action as deserving of death. As a bearer of God, I must pray for and with you for your redemption. As a bearer of the law, I must carry out justice to the best of my ability.
*deserve inasmuch as we 'deserve' anything from God.
**our 'rights' apply only as far as we have any 'right' to anything, creatures and not creators.
Pro-Life
I believe that children are the direct work of God's hands, and that every life is sacred, whether that of a child who will not be born for 9 more months, an old stroke victim who is confined to a bed, a person with severe mental retardation, or a perfectly healthy individual in the prime of life. All people have been created in the image of God and as such deserve* the right** to a full, healthy life.
That being said, the implied corollary is that I do not believe in any kind of suicide, physician assisted or otherwise. I do not believe that it is a person's right** to choose to end their own life. My reasoning behind this is that the individual is judging whether there is anything to be gained from his life, whether it is 'worth living'.
Pro-death?
While I believe that every person is created on equal footing, I do believe that there are actions that deserve death. I would include in here murder - the pre-meditated kind for sure; I'm not sure about man slaughter - certain 'style's of rape, assault, etc. Those exact laws should be written by lawmakers who have more time to think through the exact ramifications of each type of offense.
Resolution
So where do the two meet? It's that same, age-old addage of loving the sinner and hatint the sin. Every person has a dignity imbued by God which denies any other person - or even himself - from arbitrarily ending his life. But every person is responsible for his actions, and actions have consequences, some of which are death. It is a matter of judging the act, not the person. I judge you as being created by God, with an immortal soul that cannot be replaced. But I judge your action as deserving of death. As a bearer of God, I must pray for and with you for your redemption. As a bearer of the law, I must carry out justice to the best of my ability.
*deserve inasmuch as we 'deserve' anything from God.
**our 'rights' apply only as far as we have any 'right' to anything, creatures and not creators.
WIDGETIZE
Gary Denness # 14. January 2008, 17:58
There is still an issue that (I think) you haven't clarified for me. The death penalty would seem to go against the teachings of Jesus. Did you quote, an eye for an eye? Didn't Jesus effectively overrule the OT? I feel you are on sticky ground, which ever way you turn.
I'm interested in your mentioning suicide and assisted suicide and being against them. This makes your position even harder to justify in my opinion. If a christian cannot bring himself to kill himself on religious grounds, why not just go through Singapore airport with a kilo of coke? It's a petty starting point for my next argument, but I'm sure you'll get the idea! How specific is the bibel on motive versus actions exactly?
ersi # 29. December 2008, 16:53
Anyway, I like rational blogs.